Community forums and newsletters sent home in backpacks are so old school. You want to find out whether stewed tomatoes are on tomorrow's lunch menu? Check out the district's latest tweet. How about the date for the next school board meeting? Look on Facebook. Don't like a school district decision? Post a comment.

Social networking isn't just for kids, trendy parents or curious grandparents anymore. Schools are getting into the act.

In the Portland metro area, at least eight districts made the leap this fall, signing up for Twitter or Facebook.

Though the sites won't replace the more traditional forms of communication anytime soon, they provide another way to reach out to plugged-in parents, residents without kids and even students themselves.

At the same time, the new domain comes with a new set of questions about how to maintain the district-sponsored sites, what kind of content is appropriate and who should have access to the sites during the workday.

Portland Public Schools' Facebook page has been up for about a month and is designed to provide a more casual platform for people to see announcements. The site also provides a way for the district to get instant feedback on news alerts and articles, said district spokesman Matt Shelby.

For instance, the district's regular Web site and the Facebook page both have information about the swine flu encouraging kids to wash their hands frequently. But on the Facebook page, community members sent in comments that some schools have unreliable faucets. The district responded directly with a promise to send word to maintenance workers.

So far the district has 307 "fans" following its daily updates.

"We're not talking about a real viable communication tool yet," Shelby said. "As more people sign on and more people are viewing and interacting, there will be a variety of uses we can find for it."

Salem-Keizer joined Facebook more than six months ago, using the site to help tell people about tough budget choices. The district was inspired to join Facebook by a group of community members who supported the district's bond measure last fall using its own Facebook page, said Simona Boucek, a special projects facilitator with the district.

"We saw a lot of people engaging there and we didn't see the numbers at our community forums," Boucek said. "There was lots of conversation going on about us on Facebook. We thought we should be part of the conversation as opposed to just looking in."

Now, with more than 625 fans, the Salem district is attracting more responses from community members on its posts. The district, for example, solicited suggestions to name a new district program that brings people in to spend a day as a student, staff member or principal. Some of the responses: "A day in the life of...," "So you want to be a...," and "Where in the world is..."

This summer, Salem-Keizer officials gave a presentation to other school districts from around the country about their experience. Many districts, Boucek said, are afraid that people will post negative comments.

"If it's constructive criticism, we answer it," she said. "If it's offensive or derogatory, then we take it down and give them an opportunity to rewrite. People might have a bad opinion of us and that's OK."

Portland staff had been considering the move to Facebook for months, but had to overcome some hurdles -- including the district's own security.

Students and staff in Portland Public Schools are blocked from accessing Facebook in schools and at the district office. The district is maintaining its ban on the social networking site to cut down on distractions, but the information technology department has allowed access for the people who will be adding new content.

Karen Kleinz, associate director of the National School Public Relations Association, said most school districts will have to create clearer policies about what's OK and what isn't.

"I suspect we are going to see some of those policies change," Kleinz said. "There are already conversations out there about the fact that you can't have it both ways -- you either embrace technology and use or you don't."

And Kleinz believes in embracing the technology if you're in a tech-savvy community. "This generation of parents and those coming behind them -- this is how they communicate," she said. "Districts need to start learning how to use social networking effectively now."

In Southwest Washington, Education Service District 112 is helping four school districts -- Washougal, Camas, Kelso and Ridgefield -- use Facebook and Twitter to reach their communities.

The sites' growing popularity and the fact that they're free make them an ideal way to capitalize on reaching parents and families more immediately, said Eric Jacobson, a public information coordinator with the ESD who's working the districts.

"A lot of school districts use their Web sites to give good information to the community, but a lot of people don't check the Web site or don't know how to find what they're looking for," Jacobson said. "With Facebook and Twitter, you have the ability to link to the Web site and give people a quick way to access information."

The phenomenon has taken off in districts such as Ridgefield, which serves about 2,500 kids. On Aug. 30, the district had eight fans. This week, the district had 287 fans. About one-third of them are students.

Kelso School District officials are taking it even further, offering regular podcasts on iTunes for free so people can learn about the inner workings of the school districts.

In Forest Grove, the 3-month-old Twitter page has 37 tweets and 102 followers.

"One size doesn't fit all anymore," said Forest Grove communications director Connie Potter said. "In the old days, you could put something in the newspaper, send out a newsletter and hit most of your constituents. That's not the case anymore."